While mentioning important procedures and concepts that teachers can take away from education in the COVID-19 era, I wouldn't want to talk about the good without mentioning the inequalities that were brought to light as a result. By informing teachers of the injustices in our education system, we can all band together to create greater opportunities for the future.
The pandemic has both created and further increased inequalities that already exist in the education system. Prior to March 2020, many low-income students were already at a disadvantage. Some students didn't have the economic resources to receive homework help outside of school, others had to work jobs when not in school to help their family, and some relied on free breakfast and lunch at school as two of their meals (just to name a few). However, when the pandemic started, this brought even more stress to these students, as families faced economic hardship, food insecurity, and lack of access to technology. Due to public schools being funded by taxpayer dollars, low-income communities result in lesser funded schools. Schools that already faced tight budgets were forced to scramble to provide proper technology for their students to learn virtually. This included a laptop with a camera and wifi for those who didn't have access prior. Once these students had access to this technology, they could also potentially face the same hardships as their peers if they struggle to learn virtually. In addition to this, some may have a parent/guardian who may not be fluent in English and/or have a parent/guardian who may not be good with computers, so they could potentially not be able to support their student online. It's also vitally important to note that, statistically, this has affected Black communities at higher rates than white communities (Tufts article).
Although what I am writing about is just the tip of the iceberg, the COVID-19 pandemic has both brought to light and worsened injustices that low-income students face in the education system. It is to my belief that we as educators must advocate for a different way of tax dispersal at either the county or state levels in order to ensure that all students in a particular area are receiving the same opportunities in education. By this, I believe that education should be seen as an opportunity for any student to achieve anything, and if low-income students aren't provided with the same resources as their higher-income peers, they statistically have a lesser chance of achieving their goals. Any well-informed educator (or anyone for that matter) should see these inequalities as a wake-up call, as these injustices harm not only our students, but ultimately our future as a nation.
Source: https://now.tufts.edu/articles/how-does-covid-19-create-inequity-k-12-education
Image Source: https://www.istockphoto.com/search/2/image?mediatype=illustration&phrase=social+inequality+drawings
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